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Google Glass for Field Service Techs?

Google Glass, the latest and greatest tech development from the geeks at Google, is going to hit the mass market soon. Already being distributed to a few lucky chosen testers, Google Glass is changing the way people see the world, literally. The concept behind Google Glass is the melding of the computerized world and the real world, or to quote Google; “We started Project Glass to build technology that’s seamless, beautiful and empowering. To share the world through your eyes. To get answers and updates, instantly. To be there when you need it, and out of your way when you don’t.” According to Business Insider, Google Glass is going to revolutionize nine industries. But the article, “How Google Glass Will Revolutionize 9 Industries,” fails, however, to mention field service organizations. Can this new technology actually provide new and better ways to mobilize field service techs? Here are three ways that the Google Glass features can change the way field service techs do their jobs.

1. Training

Google Glass’s video feature allows you to capture and record everything that you see, hands free. This would provide a great training tool for field service organizations. By having field techs capture their work out in the field, field service organizations could provide a more “hands-on” training, monitor the work of current employees and use the videos for research and development as well.

2. Live Support

Imagine a new field tech calls the corporate office with IT issues while trying to install cable at a customer’s home. Google Glass works in conjunction with Google+ chat to give others access to everything you are seeing. A dispatcher could easily give step by step instructions to a field tech by being given visual access to everything the field tech is doing.

3. New Street Level Routing

Hands-free GPS sent directly to your line of vision. This feature will revolutionize the traditional GPS market and could be an asset to field service techs as well. Having 3D directions directly in your range of vision will help to reduce errors like missed turns which could significantly improve travel times and thus efficiency. Additionally, a field service tech can check in with the dispatch team, while getting directions, all without using their hands, making access to information safer and more effective.

Google Glass’s marketing has clearly one mission in mind, to change the way people see the world. However, this device may be able to change a lot more than that. The functionality presented, though arguably a bit limited at this point, can enhance the way people interact and work. It would give field service organizations better visibility, literally, to exactly what goes on in the field. Would it replace the tablets and smartphones that are clearly taking the mobility movement by storm? Probably not. But it is an additional piece of technology that could prove to be very worthwhile, and field service organizations would be silly to not pursue it in more depth. Plus, they just look cool.